“You know, having seen the project through from its inception, from the very beginning, I think when it gets to come out and is available for people to see, that’s always a little bit of a miracle to me in movie making, just to get to that place,” Clara McGregor starts telling me as we connect over a London-Brooklyn Zoom call to discuss her new project, Bleeding Love. At first, Clara might come across as a content actor enjoying the aftermath of putting a big project out. But Bleeding Love feels much closer to home. It’s her debut project behind the scenes, as she signs off with her production company, Deux Dame Entertainment, and producing partner, Vera Bulder, and the first time she shares screen time with her father and seasoned actor, Ewan McGregor.

Bleeding Love is a coming-of-age story directed by Emma Westernberg that follows the real-life and on-screen father and daughter on a road trip to Santa Fe in the aftermath of her almost fatal overdose. Playlist and snack choice adversities aside, the trip is a raw, complex, and layered depiction of parenthood and the ability to find a stranger in such a close figure like your parents or children. We watch them rediscover the love for their connections in an at times awkward and trauma-fueled relationship, delving deep into topics around mental health, addiction, and emotional baggage.

Here, we caught up with Clara to discuss the project, her creative upbringing, and the joys and angst of having your superstar father as a castmate. Keep scrolling…

Watch the trailer for Bleeding Love…

Talk me through your creative process. When did you first start working on this project?
I had a very initial idea for it, I think, in 2020, very early 2020. And I started talking about it with Vera Bulder, my producing partner, and also Ruby Caster, our writer. And it kind of grew from there, we started writing it as a team, and then, you know, we brought on Greg Lauritano, another producer, and also attached Killer Films, which was really huge to be able to bring Christine Vachon and her team on. And, yeah, then it just went from there…

Did you always know you wanted to be an actor? Tell me a bit about your creative upbringing…
I went through a lot of different phases growing up with what I wanted to do. I was acting a lot in school plays when I was in London, so before the age of 12. And I loved that, but I had a lot of other passions and interests. And I think when I got to LA, I really, you know, took a step back from the whole acting thing. I started diving into photography, and that’s what I actually went to college for, initially. And while I was in college I started taking some acting classes and just got the bug again.

And how was it working so closely with your father? How did you work on separating your real life connection to your characters’ bond?
I mean, what was amazing is it was this kind of juxtaposition between, you know, we weren’t playing ourselves and we weren’t actually these characters. But you’re living so truthfully in those moments, because you are with your father, and him with his daughter. So there was a real ease in a lot of those scenes, and I liked playing off of the fact that we did know each other so well, and I think that was a real gift and such an addition to what we were able to bring. And I think there was just the safety of knowing that we were on a film set, and we had Emma [Westernberg] directing us, and so we both allowed each other to really dive in and go there and know that we were making a movie and this wasn’t real. It was such a great time, actually, as an actor and it was so much fun being able to play within those moments because you can really fully let yourself live there and experience that with him and then the director yells cut, and Emma comes running in with her big smile, and you’re not actually in that moment. So it was amazing to be able to play within that.

When did you start filming and what are some of your core memories of your time on set?
We filmed in 2021, I think. I went out there earlier with our director and our producer to do some soft prep and get our crew going. So I was out there for three months in total, and then we shot the film in the last three weeks. The whole experience was amazing. I not only got make a movie with my dad — which is amazing, getting to spend that much time with him — but I also made it with my best friends. Vera, her husband Jake, and his mom are in it as well. I’ve known Emma forever, and our costume designer Sophie [Hardeman] as well. I mean, we just had a team of our friends and family, and a lot of other incredible people, but it was just a great time and it felt like summer camp again.

Do you think this experience changed the way you and your father see each other?
I think on a professional level. I’d never actually acted with my dad before, and so I had a whole newfound appreciation for his skill and his craft and how he works. I got to really witness that and so I think that shifted. We were very close going into it, and we left it very close. But it was bonding for sure. I think we both kind of wish we could just keep doing it forever.

Moving forward, where do you see yourself taking your career, balancing out your new endeavours with your production company Deux Dames?
I’m definitely an actress. I love acting, that’s my passion first and foremost. But I absolutely love producing as well, and Vera and I have a really exciting slate of projects that we’re working on. One of which is a project called Goddess, it’s a true story about a cross-dressing bisexual sword-fighting opera singer, who lived in France in the 17th century. We’re very excited.

Much of the film’s storyline also surrounds topics of mental health, trauma and addiction. How important was it for you to explore that side of the script?
I think, you know, it’s a coming-of-age story. And I think everyone has their own version of that. And for me, I definitely had a lot of moments of growth in my early 20s. And I think that it’s, you know, being able to express yourself, to be able to talk about it, to talk about how confusing it is. I think that’s really important. I wanted that to definitely be a part of this story. I think that we’re getting so much better at talking about mental health, talking about our struggles and also not being ashamed about them. And that’s something that I think the daughter character in the movie is struggling with. And that the father as well has struggled with in the past. But you see him on the later side of that journey and her at the beginning of it. And it feels like he’s almost allowing, you know, giving her room to have those issues without having too much shame around it.

What fascinated you most about this character and how do you think you connect most with her?
I loved playing this character because, in so many ways, she was kind of me when I was younger. She was definitely, I think, a lot more rebellious, and outspoken than I ever was. But I think diving into that was fun. Playing the kind of bratty, annoyed, pissed-off kid, you know, because that’s something that is not a part of me now, certainly. And I don’t think ever on that level, but being able to dive into those moments, the moments where she’s, you know, completely deflecting and not wanting to be emotional with her dad. Those were actually pretty fun. The funny moments. I think those were the moments of kind of, you know, being an asshole to him. I thought those were fun to play because they were the furthest from me now, I think.

On set, do you have any advice your dad ever gave you that you keep dear to your heart?
You know, he didn’t give me a lot of advice. I think he let me do my thing. But one thing that was really important is he did pull me aside, I think right before we did the motel scene, which is a very emotional scene. And he did tell me to just go for it. We were able to improvise a lot while we were shooting, and he just told me to really give it to him and not to worry about it. And I think I needed to hear that just one more time to be able to, like, fully go for it. And I was so grateful that he kind of pushed me to go there. But that was about it. I think he really kind of let me do my thing. And we turned to the director really to give us our direction.

And if you could give him any advice, what would you say?
I don’t think I would. I was just grateful he was there. You know, it was great that we got to do it together. And he certainly has been doing it far longer than I have. So I don’t have any.

Bleeding Love is out now in select cinemas.